Other Drugs We’re Investigating

Topamax is a prescription drug marketed and sold by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to treat epilepsy and migraine headaches. When a woman takes Topamax during her pregnancy, her child has an increased risk of cleft palate or cleft lip. A cleft palate occurs when the roof of the baby’s mouth develops abnormally, leaving a hole in the palate that may join with the nasal cavity. Left untreated, a cleft palate can cause problems with feeding, speech and hearing. A cleft lip occurs when the tissues of the upper jaw and nose do not join properly during fetal development leaving a split in the lip. Cleft lip and cleft palate frequently occur together.

One of the selling points of Pradaxa is that it only comes in one dose size and does not require frequent blood tests. However, Pradaxa’s one-dose-fits-all strategy might be causing some patients to have way more medication than they need.

Another dangerous fact about Pradaxa is that it has no antidote. If someone taking the blood thinner Coumadin, for example, gets injured, s/he can simply take Vitamin K to counteract the Coumadin and allow the body to form blood clots to heal the injury. Pradaxa has no such remedy. There is no vitamin or drug that can stop the bleeding. Even a small injury can turn very serious for someone taking Pradaxa.

If you or someone you love took Pradaxa and suffered internal bleeding, a stroke or even death, contact Slack & Davis today for a free consultation with our experienced pharmaceutical legal team.

Yaz® and Yasmin® – Birth Control Pills Linked to Blood Clots

Yaz and Yasmin are combined hormone birth control pills created by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals. Bayer ran aggressive advertising campaigns claiming that, in addition to being safe and effective birth control, the pills also could be used to treat acne, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Yaz became the best-selling oral contraceptive pill in the United States and Bayer’s sales soared to hundreds of millions of dollars. In 2008, the FDA found that Bayer’s ads exaggerated the benefits of the drugs and downplayed the risks of serious side effects. One of the serious side effects women taking Yaz have experienced is an increased risk of life-threatening blood clots. Yaz and Yasmin have been shown to cause venous thromboembolic events (VTE). The two most common presentations for VTE are pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that floats off to lodge in a blood vessel in the lungs. Deep vein thrombosis typically appears in the legs. Many women who took Yaz experienced blood clots that caused pulmonary embolism, stroke or heart attack as a result of taking Yaz.

If, after taking Yaz or Yasmin, you had blood clots that lead to pulmonary embolism, stroke or heart attack, contact Slack & Davis today for a confidential and free consultation with our experienced pharmaceutical legal team. This team, which includes our full-time, on-site legal nurse consultant, understands drug effects and interactions and has successfully litigated cases against large companies such as Guidant Corporation, Smith & Nephew, Sulzer Orthopedics, American Home Products, Bayer, Merck, Wyeth and others.